Dispensing container assembly



Aug. 3, 1965 P. E. ROEHRICH 3,198,400

DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v y 26 9 3///\ a, y w. x 3 A P n- IP M 2 fl J a y A? 2 3 a m a; a 2 9 2 BYP404 a, MM M m United States Patent 3,198,400 DISPENSING CONTAINERASSEMBLY Paul E. Roehrich, Oceanside, N.Y., assignor to RichfordCorporation, Oceanside, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 19,1963, Ser. No. 259,612 1 Claim. (Cl. 222--182) This invention relates toan improved dispensing container assembly and more particularly to animproved pump type of liquid spray dispenser.

Certain liquid products, particularly cosmetic liquids, are merchandisedin containers having pump type of atomizers. or spray dispensers. Thedispenser is provided with a spray head at the top of the containerwhich is reciprocated in a vertical direction to dispense the liquidcosmetics in spray or atomized form. Spray dispensers of this type arevery satisfactory from the standpoint of applying or dispensing thecosmetic preparation. However, they have the well recognized difficultyor disadvantage that they leak during shipment or when the container isinverted or placed in a horizontal position.

Many attempts have heretofore been made to provide a satisfactory spraydispensing assembly which would be substantially leak prook.. However,the devices and expedients heretofore provided to prevent or 'minimizeleaking have been complicated or cumbersome or have not satisfactorilyaccomplished their intended function.

It is a particular object of the present invention to overcome thedifiiculty and disadvantages heretofore encountered and to provide animproved dispensing container assembly of the above type having a spraypump type of dispenser which is operated in the usual manner to dispensethe liquid in spray or atomized form, but which may be assembled in asealed or closed fashion during shipment to efiectively prevent leakage.

Among other objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedspray pump type of dispensing assembly which is relatively simple andinexpensive to manufacture;

which will effectively prevent leakage during shipment or when thecontainer is inverted; and which. is simple to apply to the containerand to use.

My invention contemplates the provision of a removable plastic sheathfor tightly encasing the spray head and having 9. depending skirt havingsealing engagement with the fitting for mounting the spray pump when thespray head is in lowered position. In addition, my inventioncontemplates the provision of an improved cap, having threadedengagement with the container, and which has sealing engagementtherewith when the cap is fully applied. Also, when the cap is fullyapplied it retains the spray head in lowered position with the skirt onthe sheath in sealing engagement with the mounting or fitting.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view in perspective showing a container having aspray pump dispensing device applied thereto and also illustrating myimproved sheath, cap and seal for preventing leakage;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detailed view of the upper portion of thecontainer and spray assembly showing the sheath applied to the sprayhead and the cap in the process of being applied to the container;

FIGURE 3 is a similar enlarged detailed view showing the cap fullyapplied to the container and having sealing engagement therewith, andalso serving to retain the spray head in lowered position; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional elevational views of one form of spraypump assembly which may be used with my invention showing the spray headin elevated and lowered positions respectfully.

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As previously indicated, my invention is useful in connection withcontainers for liquids having spray pump type of dispensors appliedthereto. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one type ofcontainer that may be employed in the form of a tapered or truncatedconical glass bottle 10 having an externally threaded neck 12 with adispensing aperture extending therethr-ough. The bottle may be used forholding and dispensing any desired type of liquid as for instance Eau deCologne, toilet water, skin freshener or the like. The neck portion ofthe bottle is formed in two sections, the lower section 14- being oflarger diameter, having an external thread formed therearound andterminating at its lower end in a shoulder 15. The upper portion is ofreduced diameter as shown at 16 and is likewise preferably provided withan external thread.

Applied to the upper portion of the container is a spray pump type ofdispensing assembly 18. Spray pump assemblies of this type arewell-known, and the specific form of the spray pump may vary. Pumps ofthis type are generally provided with a spray head projecting above thecontainer which may be reciprocated to cause the liquid to be dispensedin spray or atomized form through a spray nozzle formed in the head. In.the illustrated embodiment the spray pump assembly comprises a fitting19 applied to the neck portion of the container so as to close thedispensing aperture. The illustrated fitting 19. comprises an internallythreaded cap which is applied to the reduced upper portion 16 of theneck. The fitting may be made of any suitable material, such as plasticor metal. A plastic washer or seal 20 may be provided inside the fittingso that the fitting will have sealing engagement with the top of thecontainer.

The fitting has a central aperture 21 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 andextending through the aperture 21 is the upper portion of a cylindermade of sheet metal or the like. The upper portion of the cylinder istightly fitted in the aperture and is suitably secured in position as byhaving the upper end of the cylinder staked or flaired outwardly on thetop of the fitting as shown at 23. The cylinder 22 extends downwardlyinside of the upper portion of the container and tapers inwardly to areduced valve portion 24 which accommodates the ball valve 25 so that itcan move upwardly and downwardly therein. Below the valve portion 24thetube tapers inwardly to a tubular valve seat 23' of smaller diameteragainst which the ball valve' 25 normally rests so as to close theconnection between the cylinder and the space beneath the cylinder. Ifthe ball valve 25 is shifted upwardly in the valve portion 24, the valveis opened and clearance is provided between the ball and the valveportion 24 to permit liquid to flow therebetween.

The reduced valve seat portion 24 has applied thereto a supply tube 26which extends downwardly inside the container to the lower portionthereto. Thus, when ball valve 25 is opened, liquid from inside thecontainer may be drawn upwardly through the supply tube 26 past the ballvalve and into the cylinder.

In order to create a pumping action to draw the liquid upwardly throughthe supply tube into the cylinder, I provide a piston 28 whose lower endhas sliding engagement with the interior of the cylinder. The piston istubular in form and has a stem portion extending upwardly through theaperture in the fitting 19 as shown.

In order to retain the piston and cylinder in an assembled relationship,I provide a retaining washer 29 which is suitably secured, as bybrazing, to the flaired portion 23 on the upper surface of the fitting.The retaining washer forms a sliding fit with the stem of the piston.The stem of the piston is preferably provided with a retaining ring 30secured therearound a short distance from the lower 3 end of the pistonwhich engages the retaining washer 29 so as to limit the upward movementof the piston in the cylinder.

An. air vent 31 is provided in the cylinder wall a short distance abovethe lower end of the piston when it is shifted to its elevated position.Extending between the lower end of the piston and a slotted washer 32 isa helical spring 33 which normally urges the piston to its elevatedposition.

When the piston is shifted downwardly the ball valve 25 is urged intoclosed position with the result that the contents of the cylinder areforced upwardly through the tubular piston to dispense the liquid. Whenthe piston is shifted upwardly, the ball valve 25 is caused to shiftupwardly and the liquid is drawn through the supply tube past the valveinto the cylinder. The vent 31 permits the air between the lower end ofthe piston and the upper portion of the cylinder to escape therethrough.Similarly when the piston is shifted downwardly air can enter throughthe vent 31. 1,.

Spray head 34 is attached to the upper end of the tubular piston rod byfriction fit, brazing, soldering, or the like. The spray head has apassageway 35 extending upwardly from the upper end of the piston rodand it communicates with a transverse passage formed in the transverselydisposed plug 36. The outer end of the plug 36 terminates in a spraynozzle 37 communicating with the transverse passage 35.

A ball check valve 38 is provided in the upper end of the tubular pistonrod 28 and it seats against a valve seat 39 formed beneath the ball inthe tubular piston rod. Thus, on the upward stroke of the piston ballvalve 38 closes against seat 39 andball valve 25 opens. On the downstroke, the ball valve 25 closes and ball valve 33 opens. Because ofthis, on each up stroke of the piston liquid is drawn into the cylinder22. On each down stroke liquid is dispensed from the cylinder in sprayform through spray nozzle 37.

The device may be operated by simply pressing down-- wardly by the thumbor finger on the top of the spray head until it is shifted to itslowered position. When the pressure is released the spring returns thespray head to its elevated position. v

The particular spray head construction illustrated and described aboveis representative of one type of assembly to which my invention isapplicable. It should be understood that my invention is applicable toother types of spray pump dispensing assemblies in which the liquid isdispensed in spray form by simply reciprocating the spray head.

In order to prevent the assembly from leaking during shipment or whenthe container is inverted or placed on its side, I provide the improvedsheath and cap arrangement in FIGURES 1 and 2 and 3. Thus I provided asheath 40 made of a suitable plastic material such as a polyolefin or avinyl polymer or copolymer or cellulose acetate. The sheath tightlyembraces the spray head and serves to seal the spray nozzle. The sheathhas a depending skirt portion which preferably extends downwardly belowthe head so as to have sealing engagement with the upper surface offitting 19 when the head is shifted to its lowermost position. Thesheath also has a head portion 41 which projects upwardly from thesurface of the skirt portion so as to engage the interior of the closurecap for the container so that the closure cap can thereby shift thespray head to its lowered position.

The cap is illustrated at 42 and is internally threaded so as to beengaged with the threaded portion 14 at the neck of the bottle. I alsopreferably provided a seal 43 which rests on the shoulder 15 and isengaged by the lower edge of the cap when the cap is fully appliedthereby providing sealing engagement between the cap and the container.

As shown, the cap is provided with an interior recess large enough toaccommodate the head and sheath 4!). The recess is of such a height thatwhen the cap is fully applied the sheath and head are shifted to loweredposition with the skirt in sealing engagement with the fitting 19. Inaddition, sealing engagement is provided between the cap and thecontainer by means of sealing washer 43. The head 41 and the uppersurface of the skirt portion of the sheath 40 impart a degree offlexibility to the sheath thereby providing for a reasonable tolerancein the dimensions of the parts.

In using my improved dispensing container assembly, the container isfilled with the desired liquid such as cosmetic liquid and thespray pumpassembly 18 is applied thereto as shown. Thereafter, the sheath 40 isapplied over the spray head and washer 43 is applied around the neck ofthe container on the shoulder 15. The cap 42 is tightly secured in placeto cause the sheath to have sealing engagement with the shoulder beneaththe neckof the bottle through sealing washer 43.

When thus closed and sealed the container may be inverted, placed on itsside and shipped and handled without leakage. To use the device it isonly necessary to remove the cap and sheathand to reciprocate the sprayhead. If at any time it is desired to carry the container in a handbagor luggage, the sheath and cap may be applied thereto in the samemanner.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved dispensingcontainer assembly of the type utilizing a spray pump dispensing devicewhich is of relatively simple construction; which effectively preventsleakage; and which may be readily applied to and used with a dispensingassembly.

I claim:

A leak proof dispensing spray container for liquids comprising, acontainer for liquids having an externally threaded neck portion with anopening extending therethrough; a spray pump assembly comprising afitting mounted on said neck portion and closing said opening, a spraygun mounted on said fitting and extending through the opening in theneck portion with a spray head having a spray nozzle extending upwardlyfrom said fitting and reciprocable between elevated and loweredpositions to dispense a liquid from the container through the spraynozzle; said spray nozzle being flush with said spray head; a removablesheath tightly encasing the spray head and sealing the nozzle outletagainst leakage and having a depending skirt having sealing engagementwith the spray pump fitting when the spray head is in lowered position;and a closure cap for the container formed with an interior recesshaving internally threaded engagement with the threads on the neckportion; a sealing ring means for said cap which is applied to hold saidspray head in lowered position in sealing engagement with the containerwith the closure cap and sheath being fully applied to the neck portionto seal said container from leakage, said internal recess being of. asize to accommodate the spray head with the sheath applied thereto andbeing of a height to retain the spray head and sheath in loweredposition when the cap is fully applied with the depending skirt insealing engagement with the spray pump fitting.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,077 12/20Bobrick et a1 22232l' X 2,119,884- 6/38 Lohse 22232l X 2,586,687 2/52Mellon 222-321 2,961,128 11/60 Cochran 222182 3,044,413 7/62 Corsette222-321 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner.

